For the second time in less than a year, Republican Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska faced disgruntled constituents during a town hall who heckled him and shouted in opposition to President Donald Trump’s “anti-weaponization fund” and the Iran war.
Flood, no stranger to rowdy town halls, attempted to answer confrontational questions from locals in Norfolk, Nebraska, Tuesday evening about his position on several Trump administration developments.
Audience members shouted at Flood as he tried to defend the president’s decision to go to war with Iran. One questioner accused Flood of making things “unaffordable” for Nebraskans while “lining your pocket” in Congress.
Constituents applauded questions that forced Flood to justify his support of Trump and heckled him when he tried to defend the president’s agenda.
But when asked about the Justice Department’s $1.776 billion so-called “slush fund” for those who believe they have been wrongly prosecuted, Flood said he did not support money going to January 6 rioters – a response met with applause.
“I have never approved that,” Flood said in footage aired by C. “I do not think one penny of any fund should ever go to any January 6 insurrectionist that was in the Capitol on January 6, 2021. I want to be very clear, I do not think we should be creating any fund for people who commit physical violence against law enforcement.”
Flood told Nebraskans that the Senate was opening an oversight inquiry into the fund, which Trump supports.
The unusual multi-billion-dollar fund could allow some of the president’s allies to obtain monetary relief at the expense of taxpayers. Its creation has been met with bipartisan pushback and skepticism. Flood is the most recent Republican to voice opposition to it.
The Independent has asked Flood’s office for comment.
While Flood received praise for his response to the “slush fund,” audience members had mixed reactions to his answers to other touchy topics, such as affordability, the Iran war, federal voter ID laws, the release of the Epstein files and corruption in the administration.
Audience members had a mixed reaction to Flood asserting that federal voter ID laws would prevent undocumented immigrants from voting in elections – a claim Republicans often make despite there being little evidence that widespread fraud occurs. Some members cheered while others shouted angrily at Flood.
When asked how his morals aligned with Trump, Flood rattled off a list of accomplishments by the administration, which was similarly met with some applause and some boos.
Flood has faced similar, if not more aggressive, levels of heckling at previous town halls.
In March 2025, angry members of the audience in Columbus, Nebraska, yelled at Flood as he attempted to answer questions. In August 2025, residents of Lincoln, Nebraska, chanted “tax the rich” and “free Palestine” while Flood was trying to speak.
But when one woman confronted Flood about affordability, a top issue for many voters going into the midterm elections, she received resounding applause – indicating that many people in the room agreed with her.
“You’re making everything unaffordable. We can’t afford gas, we can’t afford healthcare, we can’t afford things here in Norfolk while you guys are lining your pockets within the presidency, within Congress,” the woman said.
Affordability is becoming a bigger issue for Republicans hoping to hold onto their seats in the upcoming midterms as Trump’s war with Iran pushes gas prices, grocery costs and other everyday expenses up. The president is currently facing a record-low approval rating.
